Netflix Announces New Dark Horse Comics Series ‘The Umbrella Academy’

Netflix has struck a chord with comic book fans with its wildly successful line of Marvel series. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daredevil have all been praised by fans and general audiences alike for their gritty, dark portrayals of a unique subset of the Marvel comics universe. Netflix will even soon bring them all together under one series with The Defenders set to come out next year. Now, Netflix has added another comic book adaptation from a vastly different comic universe sure to please serious comic fans. According to a recent press release, Netflix has picked up an adaptation of The Umbrella Academy, the alternate-history superhero family drama from Dark Horse Comics.

The Umbrella Academy is written and created by Gerard Way, best known as the former frontman of rock band My Chemical Romance, and illustrated by Brazilian comic artist Gabriel Ba. The series follows a team of superheroes who were all born at the same instant with unexplained powers. The team is led by the mysterious Sir Reginald Hargreeves, an extraterrestrial disguised on Earth as a brilliant scientist and inventor who trains the team to be prepared for an unknown nefarious threat known only as the Umbrella Academy. The series has been praised for its unique take on the superhero team genre and its dark, sometimes twisted humor.

Cindy Holland, VP Original Content for Netflix, says the new The Umbrella Academy series will fit in alongside Netflix’s current comic book adaptation offerings and feature the comic series’ same stylized tone and look:

What drew us to The Umbrella Academy is that it’s wholly unique, visual and stylized. These aren’t the usual superheroes, and this series will embrace the singular tone of the graphic novels — dark yet humorous, supernatural yet grounded in reality.

The live-action series will be produced by NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, while Gerard Way will serve as executive producer. Jeremy Slater (Fantastic Four, The Exorcist) has written the pilot episode, while Steve Blackman (Fargo) will serve as executive producer and showrunner.

The Umbrella Academy does not yet have a release date, but the ten-episode series is expected to premiere on Netflix sometime in 2018.

43% of Americans Watch Netflix on a Typical Day, Tying Cable TV

Author Brett Tingley

Brett lives at the foot of the ancient Appalachian mountains in Asheville, North Carolina and writes about technology, science, and culture.
Disclosure: Streaming Observer is supported by readers. Articles may contain referral links. For more information, see the disclosure at the bottom of the page.